Source: www.guardian.co.tt
By: Nigel Simon
T&T’s George Bovell III will get his first taste of competition at the 14th FINA World Long Course Championships at the Indoor Stadium, Oriental Sports Centre, Shanghai, China from 9 pm tonight (9am Friday China Time). The 27-year-old Bovell III, T&T’s best medal chance in China line up in heat 14 of 15 in the 50m freestyle with Sergey Fesikov (Russia), Krisztian Takacs (Hungary), Alain Bernard (France), Nathan Adrian (USA), Brent Hayden (Canada), Luca Dotta (Italy) and Matthew Targett (Australia). He was originally carded to participate in the 50m breaststroke and 100m freestyle as well, but he scratched those events to enhance his chances in the 50m freestyle for which he is ranked 23rd. Bovell III, who is being accompanied by his coach and Minister of Sport Anil Roberts attained an ‘A’ standard qualifying time of 22.31 seconds in the 50m freestyle. Two years ago in Rome, Italy, Bovell III broke the 50m freestyle world record of 21.69 with a sizzling 21.64 clocking in the heats. However, Brazilian Olympic and World champion, Cesar Cielo, then lowered the mark with a 21.08 time in the final.
Bovell is currently ranked as the joint 28th fastest swimmer for the year with South African Roland Schoeman in 22.31 seconds established at the Paris Open last month. Also in action today for T&T will be Joshua Mc Leod, in the men’s 100m butterfly, in heat four of nine. On Sunday’s first day of swimming, Mc Leod was fifth in heat four of seven in the men’s 50 metres butterfly, but 29th overall. Competing from lane eight, the 21-year-old Mc Leod touched the wall in 24.41 seconds, just short of his personal best of 24.37 which he achieved at the National Age Group Long Course Championships in June. The winner of the heat was Slovenia’s Peter Mankoc (24.01) followed by Lazuka (24.14), Italian Marco Belotti (24.19) and Canada’s Joseph Bartoch (24.29). Tomorrow, this country’s other competitor in China, Cherelle Thompson, will compete in heat eight of the 50m freestyle